Latest Literature: Peppermint Oil

Posted: July 25, 2007

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Brian M. Lawrence, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Essential Oil Research and editor for natural products of Perfumer & Flavorist magazine, introduces his latest book, Peppermint Oil. Here, Lawrence explores and summarizes the published data on commercial peppermint cultivation and oil composition. Peppermint, which is obtained from Mentha xpiperita L. got its name because it was originally described as having a pepper-like taste and was similar in appearance to spearmint.

The text in Peppermint Oil is divided into two sections. The first is a brief summary of the oil cultivation regions in the United States and the compositional data on US peppermint oil since 1960 to date. The second section is devoted to a summary of the same type of information on peppermint oil production and compositional data of countries that are or were at one time producers of commercial qualities of oil. The countries covered are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, England, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Russia and the former Soviet Union, Serbia and the former Yugoslavia, South Africa and Spain. Finally, a list of peppermint oil suppliers from around the world can be seen in the Appendix of the introduction.

About the Author

Brian M. Lawrence was born in London, England in 1939. After completion of his academia, he came to the United States to work for various divisions of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. In 1979, he assumed the position of director of Research and Development for the Avoca Division. In 1984, he became manager of the Flavor Division for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and held the position for six years. The culmination of his career came in 2000 when he was promoted to senior principal scientist/manager for the Flavor Division within the same company. Following his retirement in 2003, he established a consultancy business that is still in operation today.

Lawrence has published more than 80 original articles and reports. Since 1976, he has held the position of editor for natural products of Perfumer & Flavorist magazine, for which he has written over 200 reviews for the “Progress in Essential Oils” section. Additionally, he has published 10 books and 18 book chapters on essential oils. He acted as senior editor for the proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Essential Oils, Flavors and Fragrances. In 1989, he created The Journal of Essential Oil Research, an international peer reviewed journal, of which he remains editor in chief. He also edited the book Mint: The Genus Mentha, 2007. In 1984, Lawrence was the first recipient of the “Distinguished Service Medal” of IFEAT. He also received the “Medal of Honor” from the University of Messina for his studies on essential oils in 2004.